REO Speedwagon fans will have to keep on loving the rock band from the comfort of their headphones.
The Grammy-nominated group from Champaign, which consists of lead singer Kevin Cronin, guitarist Dave Amato, bassist Bruce Hall, keyboardist Neal Doughty and drummer Bryan Hitt, revealed the band will retire from touring at the end of 2024.
In a statement shared on its social media pages Monday, REO Speedwagon said the retirement is due to “irreconcilable differences” between Cronin and Hall, seemingly regarding Hall’s health.
Hall had back surgery in late 2023, according to a November social media post from the band. Musician Matt Bissonette has been filling in for the bassist.
“Bruce has intended to be Back On the Road Again by now,” the band wrote, citing the name of one of its radio hits. “If it were up to just him, he’d be back on tour … but it’s not up to just him. The consensus opinion was that he had not recovered sufficiently to be able to perform at the level the fans have come to expect.
“Bruce respected that opinion and is grateful that Matt has been around to keep the Wagon rolling through the summer tour.”
REO Speedwagon recently toured with pop-rock band Train on the co-headlining Summer Road Trip tour, which came to Tinley Park’s Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in July and concluded on Wednesday. The band missed its final tour stop in Phoenix after Cronin fell ill.
REO has no other Chicago area concerts scheduled in 2024 but plans to perform twice in Illinois, with Loverboy opening, in Bloomington on Nov. 9 and Rockford on Nov. 22. The year’s final scheduled show, Nov. 23 in Lexington, Kentucky, could be the band’s swan song.
While the specifics of Hall and Cronin’s disagreement were not disclosed, the group said neither member “had any intention of retiring or walking away from the band.”
“Neal, Kevin and Bruce thank their fans for all their years of loyal support and for giving back to the band such wonderful memories that will remain with each of them forever,” the band concluded.
Formed in 1967, REO Speedwagon peaked in the ’80s with monster hits including “Keep On Loving You,” “Take It On the Run,” “Ridin’ The Storm Out,” “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Time For Me To Fly.”
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